A Reflected Lie
by kakashikrazy256
Summary: She had beaten everyone to the rooftop. Nakamori-keibu, the task force, even Conan-kun. Because she needed to speak with him. Because she wanted him to promise. Because she was desperate.


**PoirotCafe Short Story Contest #3 - Tears**

 **Summary: She had beaten everyone to the rooftop. Nakamori-keibu, the task force, even Conan-kun. Because she needed to speak with him. Because she wanted him to promise. Because she was desperate.**

 **Warning: Angst, some knowledge of the Kid movies.**

 **Enjoy!**

The roof door creaked too loudly. It made her wince, cursing the rusty hinges under her breath.

Knowing it was too late- _he already heard it_ \- she pushed the door wide open. The squeaky noises echoed into the night.

Pulling her jacket close, she brushed her bangs aside, and stalked closer to the edge. He hadn't left yet. She could sense him. Just as she could with Shinichi. And Conan. She nearly let out a derisive laugh.

A troublemaker radar. Amazing.

She sighed and stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move. She was tired of these games.

It was a game of pressure to see who would break first. She held her ground with pursed lips. There was no way she would fall first today.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Ran-san?"

Her heart pounded a slight bit faster at the familiar voice. She crushed the feeling immediately.

He had addressed her by her first name. From what she knew, he hadn't even called Sonoko by her first name yet. So he was serious.

Good. So was she.

She turned around casually. And there he was, standing in his majestic glory.

"Kid." She greeted without a change of expression. Her eyes studied the thief's body up and down. He didn't seem uncomfortable, but she knew better. His arms were tense, ready to grab his card gun if needed. His legs were stiff, weight shifted to the balls of his feet. He knew how strong she was. He was prepared to take flight at a split second's notice if she were to get aggressive.

She was almost sadistically happy at how she could instill such caution into the wanted thief. But she didn't need him fleeing. She needed to talk.

He was starting to get uncomfortable now. She saw the way he unconsciously ran his tongue over his lips even as he stared into her eyes. He was trying to look confident and composed under her gaze. It was almost laughable how similar he was to Shinichi.

The moment he opened his mouth to speak, she opened hers.

"I want you to stop."

Just as she hoped, Kid shut his mouth with a click. He was trying to process her words, while discarding what he had planned to say. This gave her a few moments.

"I haven't heard from him in the last two months." She started, and he gave up on speaking. His lilac eyes- _not azure like his_ \- followed her as she started to pace.

"You know, the first few times…I believed it." She chuckled darkly. "I thought, hey maybe it's true. He is coming back soon. Just like he said the first hundred phone calls."

"I believed him. I didn't really understand the circumstances but I believed him." She gritted her teeth, hands clenched.

"Every single time he came back. I thought, maybe this is it. He's here to stay for good. He's not going to run away and come back as-"She bit her lip.

"I'd look at my phone; look at that god damn cell phone every night, telling myself! He's going to come back! He's going to stop lying to my face, and tell me the truth!" Her breathing was erratic and her entire body was on fire.

"Ran-"

She whirled around and slugged Shinichi across the face.

Only it wasn't Shinichi. It was Kid.

It was always Kid.

He stumbled back- _she could already see the broken blood vessels bruising_ \- and she grabbed hold of his lapels. Faintly in the back of her mind, she realized that the thief didn't even attempt to dodge her anger.

"How many times?" She hissed, shaking him. "How many times?" Her voice was faltering against her wishes. "How many times….were you him?" She whispered.

"The egg…the airplane, the airship…the…painting." She glared up at him.

"How many times have you lied to me?"

"…"

She could finally see the emotions flickering through those eyes that were usually shielded behind shadows. There was pain from the punch, panic from her anger and- She nearly lost her grip. _Sorrow?_

"I want you to stop it." She whispered again. "Stop disguising as him." Her volume rose again.

"You are not him, damn it! Every single time I see you show up with his face, I think. Could it be? Could everything I believed until now been just a dream? That you're okay and it's safe for you to come back to me? **That Conan is not you?** " She blurted it out this time without hesitation. Her vision was cloudy, and to her horror, she felt warmth slide down her cheeks.

 _Damn it_ , she shuddered and let him go. She clenched her jaw, pressing her palms against her forehead. She had broken first. Once again, she had shown her weakness.

"Stop it; please…I'm begging you. Stop disguising as him. He's not coming back, no matter how much I want it." Her sobs wouldn't stop, and she wasn't sure how to control it anymore.

"How many times have you lied to me? Please…" She repeated. It was too much to ask of her anymore. It's been two years, when would it end?

"I'm sorry Ao-"

She started and glanced up through her tears. Kid had a trembling hand over his mouth; his lilac eyes shone wetly- _was she imagining it?_

 _Ao?_ She thought briefly, sniffling again. Could he…could Kid…

"Are you…lying to someone too?" She ventured a guess, moving closer.

Her hands had wrapped around his torso before she even realized it. His arms were raised, frozen in midair, unsure what to do.

She felt selfish for putting the unexpected burden on him, but she closed her eyes.

"Just one last time. Then…no more." She said out loud, unsure if it was for Kid's ears or her own.

The arms finally settled around her as well.

"I'm sorry." She heard Kid's hoarse whisper as he rested his head against her shoulder. Even if she had felt a wetness on her clothes, she did not say.

"He…Kudo cares….a lot. I know he does. So…I'm sorry, please wait…just a bit longer. Please. I promise it'll be over soon. Then…I'll….he'll come back."

Her hands went slack and his arms fell to his side as well. They moved back from each other, feeling just the slightest bit awkward.

His hat was shadowing his eyes again, and she couldn't see his expression. But a smile was back on his face.

It looked genuine.

"Good night, Ran-san." His voice was clear, no hint of a breakdown.

She heard tiny footsteps stomping up the staircase, and turned.

"Ran-neechan! Where's Kid?" Conan burst into view, his clothes dirty, and glasses skewed. His azure eyes flickered back and forth, searching.

She looked back towards the roof edge, letting out a breath.

"No idea, Conan-kun." She hummed.

"Did he hurt you?" His voice grew serious and low.

She shook her head, and knelt down.

"Look at you, Conan-kun. Your glasses are about to fall off." She pulled them off gently.

Her arms stopped, and she gazed into his eyes. He stared back- _a bit confused_ \- but he stared back clearly, no layer of fake lens to hide the full shine.

She laughed out loud, wiping the remnants of tears away.

"Ran….neechan?"

She stood, shedding the heavy burden off with a stretch. She smiled at the small, white triangle in the distance.

"I supposed I'll wait…just a bit longer."

 **Thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated and treasured.**


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